USA - More than a 150,000 homes and businesses were still in the dark Tuesday night, more than 24 hours after ferocious storms pummeled much of the Eastern US – leaving homes without roofs and drivers stranded for hours. In Westminster, Maryland, dozens of people were trapped in cars for up to five and a half-hours Monday after severe weather toppled power lines onto the vehicles on Route 140, state police said. The fierce storms Monday left neighborhoods littered with debris and hundreds of thousands of people in the dark.

KENYA - Kenya’s wet season began in March, bringing with it the most catastrophic weather seen in years. Over the past two months, rainfall has been near constant, filling up water reservoirs and saturating rivers and flood-prone areas. Against this backdrop, flooding has killed at least 228 people, with President William Ruto last week declaring a public holiday to mourn the victims. More than 23,000 households have meanwhile been displaced and all schools temporarily closed amid the nationwide disruption. Médecins sans frontières (MSF) now worries that water-borne diseases like cholera and mosquito-borne illnesses such as malaria could threaten the vulnerable population even further. “Destruction of latrines leads to poor water and sanitation conditions, as people are still forced to use river water sometimes because there is no safe water available,” Ms Elyas said.

USA - President Biden spoke to CNN's Erin Burnett on Wednesday, and in the interview he issued some of the most significant warnings to America's closest Middle East ally to date, telling Israel that he's ready to halt offensive weapons transfers if its military launches a full invasion of Rafah. "Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers," Biden said. "I made it clear that if they go into Rafah — they haven’t gone in Rafah yet — if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities — that deal with that problem."

EUROPE - EU elites are growing increasingly disenchanted with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Swiss newspaper Neue Zurcher Zeitung has claimed. Bloomberg reported last month that French President Emmanuel Macron, widely regarded as a key backer in von der Leyen’s rise, is eyeing a replacement for her. Although she is unelected, von der Leyen’s fate still indirectly depends on the outcome of the European parliamentary elections scheduled for next month. She remains the main candidate for the center-right European People’s Party (EPP), which has the most seats in the European Parliament. Despite an expected right wing surge in the upcoming votes, it is expected to reinforce its dominant position in June.

CHINA - Chinese President Xi Jinping is on a state visit to Europe. On what is his first trip to the EU since 2019, he has visited France and Hungary and concluded the tour in Serbia. The trip comes at a pivotal moment, when European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is attempting to flip the EU institution against China, having initiated dozens of probes on Chinese products in recent weeks. Likewise, the US has aggressively ramped up rhetoric accusing Beijing, accusing it of complicity in the Ukraine conflict, designed of course to undermine Xi’s credibility on his trip.

USA - Previous attempts to throttle Beijing’s technological development have largely failed. The White House is considering banning the export of advanced AI models – the software underpinning systems like ChatGPT – to China, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing government sources. Such a ban would be enforced by the US Department of Commerce, the sources said. In determining which AI models to ban, they said that the department would likely calculate how much computing power is required to train a model, and restrict the export of the most power-hungry, and therefore advanced, versions.

USA - University protesters advocating for Palestinian rights have been found to be distributing pro-Hamas propaganda that supports the genocide of Jews and the elimination of Israel, according to evidence discovered on campuses across the United States. In addition to the propaganda, police found weapons, chains, and steel cables intended for barricading doors, and buckets of rocks and bricks to assault police. Of the 79 people arrested in connection with the UT protest, 45 had no affiliation with the university. Similar situations have occurred at other campuses, with UC San Diego officials citing “significant dangers” in calling police to shut down an encampment where weapons, shields, and other tools for vandalism were found.

USA - As spring gardening approaches, a new contender has entered the fray — the genetically modified (GM) Purple Tomato. Unlike its GM predecessors, the GM Purple Tomato is not destined solely for the fields of commercial agriculture — it has made its debut in the backyards of home gardeners across the United States. With claims of heightened antioxidant levels and potential health benefits, this novel creation has stirred both excitement and controversy among consumers and scientists alike. Biotech investors hope it can usher in a new era of public trust in genetically engineered foods while skeptics worry the tomatoes’ near-total lack of regulation or review may hide dangers to human health and/or the environment. The genesis of the GM Purple Tomato marks a significant milestone in agricultural biotechnology.

USA - The Boy Scouts of America is no longer the image of Americana innocence — and it now seems that it never actually was in the first place. The organization has announced that it is now changing its name to “Scouting America” in order to promote inclusivity and explore diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. “Can I remind America that this is an organization that has 83,000 lawsuits against them for sexual misconduct on young boys?” Jaco Booyens asks, adding, “We’re just going to change the name and welcome more dysfunction, because we are welcoming more dysfunction.”

UK - Things might look a little grim for small-c conservatives in British politics right now. But there is some good news from the front line in Britain's culture wars. All hail the anti-woke revolution! The backlash against intrusive 'progressive' diktats, imposed trans ideology and politically-correct language is gathering pace, from hospitals and schools to public loos. In another blow to the gender extremists, the Government is introducing new rules designed to 'halt the march of gender-neutral toilets' in non-domestic premises. New buildings such as bars, restaurants, shopping centres and offices will be required to provide single-sex toilet facilities for men and women 'to alleviate safety, privacy and dignity concerns'.

ISRAEL - The Israeli bombing campaign has damaged or destroyed 72% of all homes in the Gaza Strip. The UN said on Thursday that the scale of destruction in Gaza hasn’t been seen since World War II and that it would take a minimum of 16 years to rebuild homes in the Strip. “We have not seen anything like this since 1945,” said Abdallah al-Dardari, a UN assistant secretary-general. “That intensity, in such a short time and the massive scale of destruction.” Al-Dardari said 72% of all residential buildings in Gaza have been partially or completely destroyed. “The United Nations Development Programme’s initial estimates for the reconstruction of… the Gaza Strip surpass $30 billion and could reach up to $40 billion,” al-Dardari said.

ISRAEL - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed not to yield to international pressure to stop the war in Gaza. In a speech marking Holocaust Remembrance Day on Sunday, the Israeli leader said that the Jewish state will continue to “defend” itself even if its allies abandon it. The Israeli government has found itself under increasing international pressure to halt its offensive in Gaza and agree to a ceasefire. The US, the biggest supplier of weapons to Israel, has faced mounting calls from the UN, pro-Palestinian protesters, and human rights organizations to stop sending arms to the country. “I say to the leaders of the world, no amount of pressure, no decision by any international forum, will stop Israel from defending itself,” Netanyahu said during a memorial ceremony in Jerusalem for the six million Jews killed by Nazi Germany during World War II. “We will fight the monsters of Hamas and destroy them for good. If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone,” he added.

ISRAEL - Israel has taken a 'very significant step' towards its goal of destroying Hamas with the Rafah crossing seizure, Netanyahu has said. The Israeli Prime Minister dismissed Hamas' proposals to return 33 hostages, which the terror group said could be either alive or dead. 'During the first phase, Hamas releases 33 Israeli detainees (alive or corpses),' Hamas said when it laid out the conditions for the ceasefire deal they had agreed to, according to the Times of Israel. Netanyahu's office said the proposal was 'far from Israel's essential demands', but the government would still send negotiators for talks. This comes just hours after an Israeli tank brigade seized control of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

USA - The US has piled pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu to agree a ceasefire deal with Hamas, arguing the two sides should be able to “close the remaining gaps” in negotiations “very soon”. John Kirby, the White House’s national security spokesman, on Tuesday urged negotiators to come to an agreement after Israel launched a “limited” assault on Rafah, in the south of Gaza. Israel rejected a deal proposed by Hamas on Monday, dashing Palestinian hopes of a ceasefire in exchange for the release of remaining hostages captured on Oct 7.

UK - AstraZeneca pulls Covid vaccine after admitting potentially deadly rare side effect. The company says the decision is "commercial" and that the vaccine has been superseded by new inoculations. The Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine is set to be withdrawn after the pharmaceutical giant admitted it can cause a rare and potentially dangerous side effect. The company has voluntarily withdrawn its "market authorisation" in the European Union, a move which came into force on Tuesday. The vaccine was championed by the-then Prime Minister Boris Johnson as a "triumph for British science", being credited with saving more than six million lives. AstraZeneca said the vaccine - which is known as Vaxzevria - was no longer being manufactured or supplied and has since been superseded by updated vaccines that tackle new Covid variants. The firm said it was therefore a "commercial reason" to withdraw its use.